Rubber bail bumpers

[Catching Nemo]

Hi everyone.

On a lot of the vintage Zebco/Langley reels (like the 870 and 860) and several other Zebco models (like the XB line), there is one or two rubber bumpers on the upper part of the rotor housing, to cushion the bail arm/bracket when it snaps closed and to keep the bail arm level.

The Penn 700 has it too.

On many reels, that rubber bumper has worn down or broken off, after all these decades have passed. So, the bail arm and line roller do not sit in a level position. 

Has anyone found a reliable DIY replacement for a broken off rubber bumper? How about cutting off a chunk of rubber from an old tire and gluing it to the rotor?

[mo65]

   Mystic Parts still has a few of the Spinfisher bail bumpers...maybe one of those can be made to fit.

[Midway Tommy]

My Zebco 860 & 870 don't have such a thing.The only rubber bumper they have is on the trip stud on the underside of the body. Mine are all in fine condition but a piece of small diameter vinyl tubing would work just fine if needed.

I've shared this many times, but whenever I need a cushion/bumper/spacer for the bail to rest on I make one using a leather punch tool, the appropriate size punch and a thick piece of rubber mat or something similar and glue it into place with Stick & Seal. It works just fine.

[Catching Nemo]

Thanks Tommy and Mo.

Here's a pic of the rubber bumper bail rest on the 870 that I just got. It actually has two of them: the one in the picture and a second one on the opposite side of the bail nut.

The bumper in the pic is only partly whole. The metal peg of the bail bracket has sheared off most of the rubber.

I Will try the glue and leather punch idea!

[Midway Tommy]

Yeah, you're correct. Mine are in such good condition that I couldn't  even tell they were bumpers without using my jeweler's loop. Mine look like part of the block.  

[foakes]

I have plenty of new bumpers for DAM Quick, Penn, and Mitchell.

For odd reels that my parts inventory doesn't cover — I have found that another bumper can be fashioned easily enough from one that is close.

Another great solution I do is to use a cupboard bumper dot from the hardware store — just cut to fit then glue with Tac-Glue or HD Gorilla Glue.

For proper line lay on the spool — the bumper needs to be present, solid, and intact.

Best, Fred